So I've been playing the new expansion for a while now, and while I certainly haven't discovered everything or exhausted the new options, I have a feel for the gameplay. A few preminary thoughts before I organize an actual review.
-A much better take than the old Bon Voyage expansion for the Sims 2; I remember when I got that one, I felt as though there was not too much to do at the vacation spots. It was very spa-based, relaxation, downtime, zen. World Adventures offers lots of action, lots of new activities, lots of exploring. It's not wanting for action, certainly.
-I appreciate the new skills; photography is my current favorite and is quite layered, with lots of sets to complete; it certainly gives my artistic sims something to now aside from paint pictures and write. Martial arts is quite fun, too - the tournament system in China is nicely done. As for the wine-making, it's cute, although I don't see my interest in it lasting much longer than a few more trips to France.
-The exploration elements are surprisingly well done, although they don't feel too much like a Sims game. You really have to be interctive with your sims while they're exploring, and the risk of traps are a nice touch, giving the tombs a feeling of weight.
-My main issue is vacationing in groups; it's very difficult to do it successfully; I'm constantly switching back and forth between my sims if one is in a tomb exploring; you essentially can't leave them regardless of the free will level, so all of your other sims are basically on their own. Pausing the game every three minutes to make sure the rest of your party hasn't died is a real drawback.
-Oh, the glitches! Would it be a Sims game if it weren't released with a pile of glitches? Well, there are tons. From what I've read online, I'm one of the least affected. My game runs smoothly and it isn't crashing all over the place. However, I can't explore tombs in France yet (it caused my game to simply quit) and there are some saving issues (mainly, 'save' doesn't work, but 'save as' does).
Once I've played more thoroughly played I'll write an actual review. However, from what I've seen so far, I'm actually quite impressed. Despite the glitches (they'll get fixed eventually, and there is tons to do even with them, at least for the game running on my computer), this game has a lot going for it. I know by the 15th expansion that will inevitably come out for Sims 3, I'll be less cheery, but right now I'm pretty satisfied.